Portent, Inc. CEO Ian Lurie has been named to the 2012-2014 Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) Board of Directors. “I’m excited to be on the board with such a great group of search marketers,” Lurie said. “SEMPO’s done some great things for our industry, and I know we’ll be able to grow the organization.” Lurie… Read More

These are the annotated slides from my presentation at SEMPDX Searchfest today. I talked about social media, having a productive routine and building a powerful campaign without sucking up 4 hours a day: Your daily social media routine – stuff that matters View more presentations from Ian Lurie

So, you’re heading on your own as an SEO consultant. Welcome to our weird little club! Before you start, you might want to make sure you’ve got: Knowledge. I really, really hope I don’t have to point this out. But you need strong knowledge of SEO: Far more than you can get in a few… Read More

I did a presentation a while ago about web copywriting, specifically for leads-based and professional services businesses. Today I rewrote it for a more general audience, and sharpened up a few things. Here it is – have a look-see: Writing for leads: How professionals can market themselves online View more presentations from Ian Lurie

For us in the internet marketing community, Twitter is the best way to get the latest insights from all the top minds in our field. The world of SEO is always changing, and if you’re working off old information you could be doing more harm than good to your website. In order to stay ahead… Read More

Google Search Plus Your World (GSPYW, for short). Social media belly button lint? Or the best damned thing since chocolate? It’s a riddle. But GSPYW builds traffic a bunch of ways. The best (so far) is the ‘Plus Box': Question is, how does Google decide which pages and profiles get that coveted spot? Also, how… Read More

All I ask in exchange is your soul. Well. Actually just your e-mail address, if you don’t mind. Click here to sign up and watch the video of the first webinar, ‘Internet marketing 101′. I won’t spam you. Much.

When someone asks me what I do professionally I usually tell them I’m a pirate, a ninja, or a wine connoisseur. Then I tell them that I moonlight as an Account Strategist at an Internet marketing agency. Inevitably they ask “what the hell does that mean?” The truth is that this is a perfectly legitimate… Read More

I have two styles of work. One is intuitive. When I have invested my 10,000 hours into I work quickly. I can because I have the knowledge and experience needed to be accurate and effective. I am not, unfortunately, an expert on all things. In fact, when it comes to most topics I know just… Read More

Portent’s starting a free webinar series, presented by yours truly. The first one is January 31, 2012 at 11 AM Pacific time. I’ll be doing a deep dive into inbound search content social media internet marketing strategy: The role of search engines, social media and other channels in your internet marketing campaign. What ‘inbound marketing’… Read More

You send an e-mail to 40,000 people, and get 1 response. Or, you run a Groupon deal that brings 1,000 new customers, who never buy from you again. Wonder why? You got everyone’s attention. They just don’t care. Now you’ve got a choice: Rend your garments, tear your hair and whine about how stupid the… Read More

Most people are terrified of problem solving, whether they’re figuring out how to replace a flat tire or diagnose a problem on their blog. They see a problem, and run so fast their pants are literally flayed from their bodies. Why? Because: A failed solution = A mistake Solutions require time, which no one has… Read More

Every day, I talk to potential clients. Smart people. Most of them, though, have no idea how to hire an SEO agency. So they ask standard questions, like: Have you ever worked in the guppy sales industry before? How big is your company? How much will you charge me? A nice start. But it’s not… Read More

After my post yesterday, I realized I need to come up with some nice, concise definitions for what we do at Portent. Here’s my first try: Internet Marketing, defined in 3 sentences Internet marketing does three things. A good digital campaign: Improves visibility through SEO, paid search, social media and any other relevant vehicles. Builds… Read More